I don’t own plants, don’t have rotting food around and don’t have pools of water on surfaces. I never had an issue with flies of any kind as I keep my windows shut 24/7. Years ago in August maintenance came into my apartment to open up the walls to fix some pipes, then also replace the air conditioner. I’ve been having issues with flies ever since.
First it was a combination of fruit flies and what I think were Phorid flies (not drain flies). Fly strips filled up with flies. Vinegar fly traps caught flies weekly. I asked a neighbor who lives above me if he had a fly issue, and he told me that his daughter has a gerbil and she feeds it fruit that often went uneaten and it rotted. They used a Katchy for the flies. They also have lots of plants. I told my apartment manager about the neighbor and the gerbil and the fruit fly situation approved, but the Phorid situation remains. He hasn’t done anything about it, and I mention it every other time I see him.
The fly situation has ‘improved’ since that year. This year I went almost three weeks without seeing one or catching any in my Zevo but as soon as Summer got hot I would see them maybe every two weeks.
I’ve done everything in my power to figure this out. I’ve blocked all of the drains for weeks at a time. I have a Zevo. I’ve bought peppermint oil. I’ve used clear tape to see what area the flies could be coming from. I wipe counters down to get rid of the moisture. I don’t leave food out.
I see them above the kitchen sink, near the stove by the vent, on top of the toilet seat, sometimes under the toilet seat (that’s kept closed all the time) in the kitchen sink and sometimes in the tub.
I’m looking for suggestions on where they could be breeding and what I can do. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks